How To Install dmenu_run_hlwm on Ubuntu 21.04

One-liner install command

For those in a hurry, here's a one-line installation command:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt -y install herbstluftwm

But if you are interested in the detailed steps with descriptions, the following information is for you.

What is dmenu_run_hlwm and what are the ways to install it?

Before beginning this tutorial, you will need access to a server or computer running Ubuntu 21.04. This guide was written specifically with a server running Ubuntu 21.04 in mind, although it should also work on older, supported versions of the operating system.

Also, make sure you are running a regular, non-root user with sudo privileges configured on your server. When you have an account available, log in as your non-root user to begin.

There are several ways to install dmenu_run_hlwm on Ubuntu 21.04. You can use (links are clickable):

In the following sections, we will describe each method in detail. You can choose one of them or refer to the recommended one.

Install dmenu_run_hlwm using apt-get

First, update apt database with apt-get using the following command.

sudo apt-get update

After updating apt-get database, You can install dmenu_run_hlwm using apt by running the following command:

sudo apt -y install herbstluftwm

Install dmenu_run_hlwm using apt

Because dmenu_run_hlwm is available in Ubuntu 21.04’s default repositories, it is possible to install it from these repositories using the apt packaging system.

To begin, update apt database with apt using the following command.

sudo apt update

After updating apt database, You can install dmenu_run_hlwm using apt by running the following command:

sudo apt -y install herbstluftwm

Install dmenu_run_hlwm using aptitude

If you want to follow this method, you might need to install aptitude first since aptitude is usually not installed by default on Ubuntu 21.04. Update apt database with aptitude using the following command.

sudo aptitude update

After updating aptitude database, You can install dmenu_run_hlwm by running the following command:

sudo aptitude -y install herbstluftwm

How to upgrade (update) a single package dmenu_run_hlwm using apt-get?

First, you will need to update packages index. Run update command as usual:

sudo apt-get update

Next, to upgrade only the dmenu_run_hlwm, e.g. single package, you should use the following format with the apt-get command/apt command:

sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install herbstluftwm

Note that this command will not install any new packages! If you wish to install the package if it doesn't exist you may leave out --only-upgrade part.

sudo apt-get install herbstluftwm

How To Uninstall dmenu_run_hlwm from Ubuntu 21.04

To uninstall only the dmenu_run_hlwm package you can execute the following command:

sudo apt-get remove herbstluftwm

Uninstall dmenu_run_hlwm and all its dependencies

To uninstall dmenu_run_hlwm and its dependencies that are no longer needed by Ubuntu 21.04, you can use the command below:

sudo apt-get -y autoremove herbstluftwm

Remove dmenu_run_hlwm with all configurations and data

To remove dmenu_run_hlwm configuration and data from your system you can run the following purge command:

sudo apt-get -y purge herbstluftwm

Remove dmenu_run_hlwm completely (configurations, data and all of its dependencies)

And lastly, you can run the next command to remove absolutely everything related to dmenu_run_hlwm package, e.g.: configurations, data and all of its dependencies. Just use this command:

sudo apt-get -y autoremove --purge herbstluftwm

Extra info and code examples

In herbstluftwm the layout is based on splitting frames into subframes which can be split again or can be filled with windows, Tags (or workspaces or virtual desktops or ...) can be added/removed at runtime. Each tag contains an own layout and exactly one tag is viewed on each monitor. The tags are monitor independent. It is configured at runtime via ipc calls from herbstclient. So the configuration file is just a script which is run on startup.

Conclusion

You now have a full guide on how to install dmenu_run_hlwm using apt, apt-get and aptitude tools. Also, we showed how to update as a single package and different ways to uninstall the dmenu_run_hlwm from Ubuntu 21.04.

See also: